Yesterday I conducted two workshops on WebQuests: Problem-Based Learning (PBL) at Merimbula on the beautiful south coast of New South Wales. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of dedicated teachers from K - 12 (from 11 different schools) interested in using and creating WebQuests. After using our Library of rated WebQuests, these teachers were able to see how they could adapt other WebQuests to suit their own classrooms using SWAT (http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/swat ) which is a free Web 2.0 Tool to create or adapt a WebQuest.

We look forward to seeing the WebQuests created or adapted! Special thanks to Jenne Gardner and Paul Morris for asking me (Frances Moore) to conduct these workshops!

Safe Climate Australia has been recently launched. This organisation is a non-profit organisation with numerous scientists and others involved in renewable energy being the founding members. This type of organisation would be a good one to introduce students to especially in the Conclusion of a WebQuest where Real World Feedback is sometimes required. Getting students to contact real scientists with their own views, solutions or ideas helps students to recognise that their own work is important!

WebQuest Direct has over 75 WebQuests on Global Warming and Climate Change.

Here is a 5 Star (the best) WebQuest about Global Warming!

Global Warming: Can you feel the heat?

Rating: Key Learning Areas: HSIE / SOSE / Social Studies; Science Key Competencies: Collecting, analysing and organising information; Communicating Ideas and information; Planning and organising activities; Solving problems; Using technology; Working in a team Tasks: Analytical; Compilation; Creative Product; Journalistic; Persuasion; Research; Science Grade Levels: Secondary / High School Country: Australia Language: English  Author: Kerrie Malcolm (2008)

As reported in the Courier Mail, "EVERY state school in Queensland will teach indigenous culture in a radical plan to reduce the education gap with their fellow Australians. State school residential colleges where indigenous children board, but are close enough to their community to go home on the weekend, are also being proposed. Indigenous educators say the plan represents ''a seismic shift'' within the Queensland Education Department and offers new hope for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Presented in the report, Closing the Gap Education Strategy, schools are told they need to halve the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Year 3 numeracy and literacy levels by 2012. By 2013, schools are expected to lift indigenous retention and attendance rates to that of their non-indigenous students."

If you go to Scot Aldred's Blog [see side panel for Educational blogs], you will see numerous occasions where Scot (an Australian guru on Problem-Based Learning @ Central Queensland University) has recommended that PBL is taught in Australian schools as this approach to learning engages and motivates ALL students!

Let's hope that the "seismic shift" occurs! All the best Queenlander Teachers - this should be a wonderful thing to happen!

 
 (Source: Types of Questions initiating a WebQuest: A Mental Model)

In this article by Dea Conrad-Curry, the art of questioning is described. Conrad-Curry gives Research examples about content that teachers are wanting students to explore. She then provides some questions that will elicit the same knowledge but promotes higher order thinking. The types of questions are: Understand, Figure out, Decide, Build or invent, Persuade or convince, Challenge or destroy, Acquaint, Dismiss, Wonder, or, Predict.

The article falls down by not describing the questioning involved in Problem-Based Learning - the basis of WebQuests. Again, it ascertains by not exploring PBL that WebQuests are just "inquiry-based" projects.

However, the examples that Conrad-Curry explores are very helpful for teachers wanting to get students to think deeply about a particular subject.